The Beauty and The Mob (2)

[A/N: Just to clarify: I'll check for errors and fix them later in!]

****

[ Academy Training Camp ]

Gathered with my assigned team, I waited patiently as they excitedly discussed the best course of action to take.

Qiyana had stepped forward, taking control of the situation and assuming the role of leader.

Her natural adaptability and intelligence made her perfect for the task, and I, along with the others, had no reason to challenge her leadership.

''So, let's put it simple. Okay?''

There she was, standing in the center of the circle we'd formed, arms crossed and concentrating. Her green hair seemed to dance in the wind, moving in time with the determination she exuded.

She was like a persona plucked from my nightmares on Earth, being a perfect copy of the character I knew so well from TWOF's Universe.

"From what we were told, we must be about to face a flying monster," she said, her voice clear and confident.

"What makes you think that?"

Owen asked, surprised by her conclusion.

"We were called upon to find and engage a creature in an open field. Also, there are barriers around the field that restrict the airspace but do not limit the extent of the ground. Everything points in one direction."

The gasps of admiration that followed proved how impressed the team had been with Qiyana's mental agility.

Our colleagues stared at her with wide eyes in wonderment.

It was amazing to see how she pieced together loose pieces of information and small clues to arrive at accurate conclusions, something that could leave even the most skeptical of observers in awe.

I also couldn't deny that her skill was indeed impressive.

She was like the fucking Sherlock from the fantasy-medieval world.

Even so, despite all that, a sinking feeling of worry began to build in my stomach.

I knew that in the TWOF game community she was a controversial figure, loved by some and hated by others.

Her accomplishments were truly remarkable, but her twisted personality would quickly turn her into a lunatic villainess.

In the face of this, being a fundamental piece for the advancement of the plot of TWOF, I wondered how the girl would be different from her version in the game; would she be true to her real personality or would she be distorted by events in the future?

I could only hope that, one way or another, her presence would not add to the problems and challenges that lay ahead.

''Can we know which monster is it?''

''Impossible. That's why it's good to assume a more defensive formation. To avoid severe damage to our members, we will do the following: Rodiel will be at the front. Owen, as the support, should be close behind so he can heal our combatant. While you guys do that, I will follow Alexander further to the flank.''

''Understood.''

Riveting. As much as I hadn't added anything to that girl's plan, her line of reasoning was very similar to mine.

Discreetly, I looked at Qiyana, while at a loss for words.

For a second, our glances met. Her eyes were unique; like rubies they glowed with deep calm and interest.

But that was just for a moment.

The instant I blinked once, she averted her face in the opposite direction.

''Are you on board with the plan, Rodiel?'', Alexander said.

"Rodiel?", Owen muttered the question to Qiyana, as if he hadn't heard of me before.

Carefully observing the conversation, I tried to decipher the words by the movements of their lips.

It was like putting together a jigsaw puzzle, trying to put the pieces bit by bit.

"The disciple of Steelheart? Don't you know him? He's quite famous."

Qiyana asked, mentioning my most famous nickname.

I expected to see a look of recognition on Owen's face, but to my surprise, he didn't seem affected at all.

That silent disdain was even worse than any verbal insult.

"Hmm... is he?", Owen finally concluded, with no emotion in his voice.

Shhhs~

With a brusque gesture, Alexander drew my attention to himself.

Wavering his hand in front of me, he asked:

''Hey! Are you on board or not?''

I woke up from my distraction, nodding quickly.

''Yes, of course. I'm in.''

As I answered, he put his hand on his chin, stroking it slightly.

His small stature and short hair made me feel taller than I was.

''By the way, now that I see it up close, you're smaller than I imagined, you know?'', he added.

''You're 1.65'', I replied.

''The disciple of a man as huge as Mael Dashner should be tall as well. Don't you think?''

''You are 1.65.''

The boy's laugh echoed through the air, but it didn't reach me at all.

My eyes were riveted to his frail silhouette, nonetheless, the weapon he carried on his back - made from the bones of an evil creature I couldn't identify - proved that he wasn't just your average guy.

''It's good to know we can count on you. Contrary to the rumors, you seems like a great guy.''

I didn't choose to participate in this journey willingly, but fate had sealed my way when the instructor, Lawliet Alyt, announced the plan in front of the entire class just moments ago.

"Guys, we can't waste any more time. Let's get going."

Qiyana warned, her voice cutting the air with the precision of a sword.

Step, step ~

I took a deep breath, suppressing my complaints, and followed after her and the others, moving with weary steps.

'Then, let's get this over with already.'

****

"There he is."

In search of one of the hostiles beings, we'd been circling the area for some time, almost as if going around lacking a definite plan.

Luckily, when the other team members were about to collapse, exhausted, we found our target monster.

It was a mosquito with hairy legs, big enough to fit three children on its body, floating right in front of us at the edge of the Academy's barrier.

I had heard about that creature, but I'd never had the opportunity to see it in person. I could claim, however, that it was as ugly as described in the books.

Its back, covered by a reddish bump, made it look like it had two heads.

If the hell wolves were violent, this bloody mosquito and its ilk were just repulsive.

With silent steps, we approached cautiously, prepared to attack at any moment.

''Let's try a sneaky approach first. Everybody in position?''

''I'm ready.''

With an agility that belied his decayed state, Alexander spoke breathlessly as he lowered his body into the weeds that surrounded the area.

In his hands, the bow was already ready to shoot.

Rsssrh~

At the same moment, with a distinct sound of wood against leather, Owen drew a small wand and I drew my sword.

Hiding next to us, Qiyana gave us orders on the new battle strategy.

''This bastard is not just a monster that flies. He is also capable of summoning around 20 newborn pups to aid him. Rodiel, when that happens, you must stand by and protect me until I kill them all. Focus on defense and don't let them get through easily.''

''Okay,'' I replied.

Standing still, as I held back from yawning, Qiyana's tedious and detailed explanation continued.

I didn't want to interfere too much, but really, it was better to leave the small bloody gnats to me.

The sword, combined with my physique and mana, had a high base power and good agility, so I could kill a large number of them with few hits, while preserving the energy of the other team members.

On the other hand, I couldn't tell whether it would be easy or not to damage the main body while it was floating.

''Owen, prioritize summoning ice spikes. I know your specialty is ice attribute magic. When you've completed this task, heal Rodiel's wounds. The front line must be maintained at all costs.''

''Understood, leader.''

However, Qiyana didn't tell me anything related to the attack.

Her orders specified that I would only serve as a wall of flesh or something like that.

Did she, by any chance, think I was a damn punching bag?

''So let's start!''

Accompanied by Qiyana's order echoing in my mind, I dove headlong into action.

The sandy ground gave way under my feet as I ran with all my might, feeling like lightning streaking through the air.

The creature, with its huge wings and glittering eyes, was focused on the other people around me, so I took the opportunity to lose it.

Drawing air into my lungs, I screamed with all my will, letting out a ferocious roar that sounded like thunder.

"LEEROOOY JENKINS!"

The answer came in the form of a defiant roar from the creature. It looked like he wouldn't be so easily intimidated.

"Raargh!"

Even so, my tactic worked. The creature had dropped a bit in altitude, focusing its attention on me.

From the screams, I felt heat rising in my ears, as if they were on fire, but I didn't hesitate.

Yet, suddenly, the monster pointed its cannon-like hump directly at me, ready to pounce.

'Fuck'

I knew I needed to act fast.

BAAM!

A deafening sound rang out and dozens of creatures were thrown from its hump.

They were like soft jellies, raining down on us from the sky in droves.

As planned, I swung the sword from side to side, holding my position as several arrows pierced some of the opponents in vital spots.

Qiyana was a few paces away from me, stabbing those who got close to the flank, preventing Alexander from being ambushed.

With a dull thud, some of them fell to the ground, already lifeless.

BAAM!

But then, surprising us all, yet another batch of puppies was released.

Qiyana's prediction was wrong.

''I messed up! There's more than we can handle! Back off—''

Holding her rapier, clearly charged with magical power — albeit weak and misdirected— Qiyana extended her hand towards me.

Against her expectations, I raised my sword before she could act.

Much to my annoyance, I had to fight seriously to complete the instructor's quest.

Tightening my grip on the sword, I directed mana into my arms, causing it to flow to the tip of it.

I felt adrenaline coursing through my veins, making my blood boil. Slowly, but surely, everything became slower and clearer, like I was watching a movie.

'They are slow,' I thought.

I could see and predict each of the enemy trajectories that rained down from all sides.

I could see everything. I could feel everything.

Their one-dimensional movements and easy-to-guess pattern made them much easier targets than ants in an outdoor anthill.

''Screw that.''

The screeching sound echoed through the air as the sword struck its first target.

While in battle, I entered a state of flow, marked by smooth, graceful actions that made it easy to follow the creature's pattern.

Stab! Slash!

My speed increased with every movement, and I became stronger, more cunning, more lethal.

Each of the opponents was slashed with precision, falling through the air together, being dropped like beautiful autumn leaves.

The sticky liquid that oozed from the bodies of enemies smeared the blade of the sword, running down to the sleeve of my shirt.

''Aargh!''

I screamed, focusing all my anger and strength into a single blow.

Crying ravenously, the mosquito flew towards me.

The result was deafening, echoing throughout the entire field, when the sword struck the heart of that monster that consecrated itself as the main body.

As the blade's bluish aura erupted from its back, the mosquito's blood and mucus splashed onto me.

With a crash, the creature fell from the sky like a rock, burying itself in the earth.

In the blink of an eye, the dozens of creatures obscuring the sun were brought down, leaving no trace behind.

"W-wait… what?", Qiyana asked, confused.

The others, perplexed, raised their voices.

''The fuck? What happened?''

In the midst of a massacre, when I came back to myself, the battle was already over.

****

[Total time: 42 minutes and 25 seconds.]

[Position: 12 out of 100 teams]

When Qiyana returned to the meeting point, she checked the holographic panel operated by the professor.

Having ranked twelfth out of over 150 teams, she should be happy.

Nonetheless, even though she performed above average, she didn't seem satisfied.

That's because the practical test scores depended mostly on individual performance, captured by the Academy's magical drone footage.

The green haired girl's expression was distorted.

She worried because her plan had gotten out of hand and a single person had led her team to victory. She felt unhappy that she had become a hindrance instead of a help.

As she looked at the podium, the girl saw with surprise that the top 3 teams were made up of people unknown to her.

''The drones captured everything. The footage will be used by the faculty to evaluate you and will soon be available to the cadets. For now, rest.''

Lawliet gave a relaxed announcement, calming the students' tempers.

Clenching her small fists, Qiyana slightly turned her head and looked back.

In the distance, sitting on a wooden bench, a man with jet black hair, covered in black moss, read a fantasy book, yawning carefree.

'Rodiel Dashner', she thought.

It was all thanks to him that they were able to finish in 12th place.

His inhuman reaction time and supernatural sword technique wiped out all the baby mosquitoes in 5 seconds.

Furthermore, he had also defeated the Blood Gnat with a single move.

So, even though Qiyana was prepared to take the opportunity to humiliate him, given that he was a high-caliber noble, Rodiel had played the key role in the team's victory.

'What goes through your head? And what exactly are you?'

With her head full of theories about Rodiel Dashner, Qiyana left the training ground, heading towards her accommodations.